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Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  145kW 

(716)  872-4503 


CIKM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copv  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  b3low. 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-dtre  uniques  du       ^ 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  m6thode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiqu^s  ci-dessous. 


n 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couvsrture  da  couleur 


n 


Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 


D 


Covers  damaged/ 
Couverture  endcmmagee 


D 


Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommag^es 


n 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restauree  et/ou  pelliculde 


D 


Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaurdes  et/ou  pellicul^es 


D 


Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


D 


Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  d6color6es,  tachetdes  ou  piquees 


D 


Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  gdographiques  en  couleur 


D 


Pages  detached/ 
Pages  d^tachdes 


D 


Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


rT7    Showthrough/ 


Transparence 


a 


Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 


D 


Quality  of  print  varies/ 
Quality  in^gale  de  I'impression 


n 


Bound  with  other  material/ 
Relid  avec  d'autres  documents 


D 


Includes  supplementary  material/ 
J    Comprend  du  materiel  supplementaire 


D 


D 


^ 


Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serree  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  intirieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajoutdes 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mals,  lorsque  cela  dtait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6t6  filmdes. 


n 


Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  bnst  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  oar  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6t6  film^es  d  nouveau  de  facon  h 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possibli?. 


Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppl6mentaires: 


This  copy  it  a  photoreproduction. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  film6  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqu6  ci-dessous. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


26X 


30X 


7 


12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


n 


32X 


tails 

du       ' 
}difier 

une 
nage 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

University  of  Saskatchewan 
Saskatoon 

The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  th? 
filming  contract  specifications. 


L'exemplaire  filmd  fut  reproduit  grAce  d  la 
g6n6rosita  de: 

University  of  Saskatchewan 
Saskatoon 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avec  la 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettet6  de  l'exemplaire  f  ilm6,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  iast  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


Les  exemnlaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimde  sont  film6s  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  pla;  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  compcrte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration.  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  film6s  en  commenpant  par  la 
premidre  pace  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  -—»-  (meaning  "CON- 


TINUED "),  or  the  symbol  V 
vt/hichever  applies. 


meaning  "END"), 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — »>signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbole  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
righ;  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
filmds  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  clichd,  il  est  film6  d  partir 
de  Tangle  sup6rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  n^cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mdthode. 


rrata 
o 


3elure, 
1  d 


D 


32X 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

.  .V. 


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I 


MICHAEL  McGRATH, 
POSTMASTER 


By  RALPH  CONNOR 

Auihiyr  of  -The  Sky  ^'llol,^^  -Black  Hock"  Etc. 


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FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 

CBICAOO  NEW   YORK  TORONTO 


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Copyright  i>x) 

BY 

Fleming  H.  Kevell  Co5i>'an-. 


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Michael  McGrath,  Postmaster. 


Some  men  and  some  scenes  so  fasten  them-^elves 
into  one's  memory  that  the  years,  with  tlieir  ..n.wj- 
ing  scenes  and  men,  have  no  power  to  .lisplace 
them.     I  can  never  forget  "  Oul.l  Michael  "  and  ^ 
the  sc-ue  of  my  first  knowing  hir...     All  day  long 
I  rode,  driving  in  front  my  pack-ptniy  lad(.-n  with 
my  photograph  kit,  tent  and  ourfir,  following  the 
trail   that   would  end  somewhere  on   the   Pacitic 
Coast,  some  hundreds  of  miles  away.    I  was  weary 
enough  of  dodging  round  th.-  big  trees,  pushing 
through    underbrush,    scrambling    up    and    -lowu 
nountain-sides,  hugging  ditfs  where  the  trail  cut 
in  and  wading  warily  through  the  roaring  torrent 
of  "  Si.xty-mile  Creek."   As  the  afternoon  wore  on, 
the  trail  left  the  creek  and  wound  away  over  a 
long  slope  up  the  mountain-side. 

"Ginger,"  said  I  to  my  riding  pony,  "  we  are 
getting  somewhere  "—for  our  trail  began  to  receive 
other  trails  from  the  side  valleys  and  the  going  was 
better.  At  last  it  pushed  up  into  the  open,  circled 
•round  a  shoulder  of  the  mountain,  clin^^in^'  ti-ht 

3 


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for  the  drop  was  jht-er  two  hundred  feet,  and — 
there  before  us  stretched  the  great  Frascr  Valley ! 
From  my  feet  the  forest  rolled  its  carpet  of  fir- 
tops — dark-green,  soft,  luxurious.  Far  down  to 
the  bottom  and  up  again,  in  waving  curves  it  swept, 
to  the  summit  of  the  distant  mountains  opposite, 
and  through  this  dark-green  mass  the  broad  river 
ran  like  a  silver  ribbon  gleaming  in  the  sunlight. 

Following  the  line  of  the  trail,  my  eye  fell  up- 
on that  which  has  often  made  men's  hearts  hard 
and  lured  them  on  t<i  joyous  deaih.  There,  alxive 
the  green  tree-tops,  in  a  clearing,  stood  a  tall  white 
mast  and  from  the  peak,  flaunting  its  lazy,  proud 
defiance,  flew  a  Union  Jack. 

"  Now,  Ginger,  how  in  the  name  of  the  Empire 
comes  that  brave  rag  to  be  shaking  itself  out  over 
these  valleys !  " 

Ginger  knew  not,  but,  in  answer  to  my  heels, 
set  off  at  a  canter  down  the  slope  and,  in  a  few 
minutes,  we  reached  a  grassy  bench  that  stretched 
down  to  the  river-bank.  On  the  bench  was  hud- 
dled an  irregular  group  of  shacks  and  cabins  and, 
in  front  of  the  first  and  most  imposing  of  them, 
stood  the  tall  mast  with  its  floating  flag.  On  the. 
wide  platform  that  ran  in  front  of  this  l-ig  cabin 
a  man  was  sitting,  smoking  a  short  bull-dog  pipe. 
By  his  dress  and  style  I  saw  at  once  that  he  had 


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served  in  Her  Majesty's  army.  .\.-<  I  rodu  up  un- 
der the  flag  I  liftfid  my  cap,  held  it  high  and  (mIIim! 
out:  "God  save  the  Queon!"  Instantly  hf  v.oa 
on  his  feet  and,  coming  to  attention  with  a  military 
salute,  replied  with  ■j^n-ar  fervor:  '"  (jod  li!f.-,s 
her!  "    From  that  moment  he  took  me  to  his  heart. 

That  was  my  introduction  to  '•'  Ould  Mirhael," 
as  everyone  in  the  Valley  called  him,  and  as  he 
called  him.solf. 

After  his  fifth  glass,  when  he  would  become 
dignified,  '*  Ould  Michar-1  "  would  drop  hi.-,  brugua 
and  speak  of  himself  as  "'  Sergeant  McGratli,  late 
of  Her  Majesty's  Xinety-third  Highland'.'rs," 
Irishman  though  he  was. 

Though  he  had  passed  his  sixtieth  year,  he  was 
still  erect  and  brisk  enough  in  his  movements,  save 
for  a  slight  hitch  in  his  left  leg.  "  A  touch  of  a 
knife,"  he  explained,  "  in  the  Skoondor  Bag." 

"The  where?" 

"  Skoonder  Bag,  forninst  the  walls  the  Luck- 
now — to  the  left  over,  ye  understand.'" 

"  I'm  ashamed  to  say  I  <lon't,"  I  answered,  feel- 
ing that  I  was  on  the  track  of  a  yarn. 

He  looked  at  me  pityingly. 

"  Ye've  heard  av  Sir  l'«din  t  "  lie  was  no;  gt>- 
iiig  to  take  anything  for  granted. 

I  replied  hastily:  "'Sir  Colin  Campbell,  of 
course." 


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"  Well,  we  was  followin'  Sir  Colin  up  tu  die  be- 
lagiired  city  when  we  run  into  the  Skoonder  Bag 
— big  stone  walls  and  winihs  hi^li  up.  and  full  av 
min,  like  a  jail,  or  a  big  di3thillcry." 

Then,  like  a  dream  from  the  past,  it  came  to  me 
that  he  was  talking  of  that  bloody  fight  ahout  and 
in  the  "Secunderabogh,"  where,  through  :i  breach 
two  feet  square,  the  men  of  the  Ninety-third,  man 
by  man,  forced  their  way  in  the  face  of  a  thoujand 
Sepoys,  mad  for  blood  and,  with  their  bayonets, 
piled  high  in  gory  neaps  the  bodies  of  their  black 
foe*,  crying  with  every  tlini*t,  in  voicrs  hoarse 
with  rage  and  dust,  "Ca\vnpore!  Cawnpoie!" 
That  tale  Ould  Michael  would  never  tell  till  his 
cups  had  carried  him  far  beyond  the  stage  of  dig- 
nity and  reserve. 

After  he  had  helped  me  to  picket  my  ponies 
and  pitch  my  tent,  he  led  rac  by  a  little  gate 
through  his  garden  to  the  side  door  of  the  cabin. 

The  garden  was  trim,  like  Ould  Michael  him- 
self, set  out  in  rectangular  beds,  by  gravel-walks 
and  low-cut  hedges  of  "  old  man."  It  was  filled 
with  all  the  dear  old-fashioned  flowers — Sweet 
William  and  Sweet  "Mary,  bachelor's  buttons,  pan- 
sies  and  mignonette,  old  country  daisies  and  snap- 
dragons and  lilies  of  the  valley  and,  in  the  centre 
of  the  beds,    great    masses  of  peonies,  while  all 

6 


around,  peeping  from  under  the  hf-dgos  of  oM  man. 
were  poppies  of  every  hue.  Beyond  thi'  irardtr. 
there  was  a  plot  of  notatoe-,  cabbage  and  rirhfr 
vegetables  and,  best  of  all  and  more  bfantiful  tli.in 
all,  over  the  whole  front  of  the  oaljiri.  cumpbrdy 
hiding  the  rough  logs,  ran  a  climbing  ri-:e.  a  nia-j 
of  fragrant  !  loom.  Ould  Michael  lingc-rcl  loving- 
Iv  for  a  moment  anionjf  his  flov.-ers.  and  then  bd 
me  into  the  house. 

The  room  into  which  we  entered  was  a  wonder 
for  preciseness  and  order.  The  walls  were  tleci> 
rated  with  prints,  much-faded  photograph*,  stiifTed 
birds,  heads  of  deer  and  a  quaint  collecrii«:i  <.f  I'M- 
fashioned  gims,  pistols  and  bayonets,  but  all 
arranged  with  an  exactness  and  taste  that  would 
drive  mad  the  modern  artistic  decorator.  On  one 
side  of  the  window  hung  a  picture  of  Wellington  : 
on  the  other,  that  of  Sir  Colin.  To  the  riglit  of  the 
clock,  on  a  shelf,  stood  a  stuffed  mallard;  to  the 
left  on  a  similar  shelf,  stood  a  stutTed  owl.  The 
same  balance  was  diligently  preserved  in  flic  ar- 
rangement of  his  weapons  of  war.  A  pine  table 
stood  against  one  wall,  flanked  bv  a  home-nuule 
chair  on  either  side.  A  door  opened  to  the  left 
into  a  bedroom,  as  I  supposed;  another,  to  the 
right,  into  what  Ould  Michael  designated  *'  ^ly 
office,  sir." 


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"  Office  ?  "    I  inquired. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  still  preser.'ing  his  manual  of  cere- 
mony, "  Her  Majesty's  mail  for  Graml  Bend." 

"  And  you  are  the  Postmaster  '  "  I  said,  throw- 
ing into  my  voice  the  respect  and  awe  that  I  felt 
were  expected. 

"  That  same,"  with  a  salute. 

"  That  explains  the  flag,  then ;  you  are  bound 
to  keep  that  flying,  I  suppose." 

"  Bound,  sir  ?    Yes,  but  by  no  law  is  it." 

"  How,  then  ?  " 

"  For  twenty-five  years  I  marched  and  fought 
under  that  riarne  flag,"  said  the  old  soldier,  drop- 
ping into  his  brogue,  ''  and  under  it,  plaze  God, 
I'll  die." 

I  looked  at  the  old  man.  In  his  large  dark- 
blue  eyes  shone  that  "  fire  that  never  .slumbers  " 
— the  fire  of  loyal  valor,  with  its  strange  power  to 
transform  common  cla}'  into  men  of  heroic  mould. 
The  flag,  the  garden,  the  postofiioe — these  were 
Ould  Michael's  household  gods.  The  equipment 
of  the  postoffice  was  primitive  enough. 

"  Wbere  are  the  boxes  ?  "  I  inquired ;  "  the 
letter-boxes,  you  know ;  to  put  the  letters  into." 

"An'  what  wud  I  do  puttin'  th=m  into  boxes, 
at  all?" 

"  Why,  to  distribute  the  mail  so  that  you  could 
find  every  man's  letter  'xhen  he  calls  for  it" 
I  8 


"  An'  Tchat  trould  I  be  doin'  findin'  a  ir.sn's 
letter  for  him  ?  Shure  an'  can'i  he  lind  if  hia- 
self  on  the  counter  there?"  poiming  to  a  wide 
plank  that  ran  along  the  wall. 

I  explained  fully  the  ordinary  system  >>i  di'trib- 
uting  mail  *o  him. 

"  Indade,  'tis  a  complicated  system  intoirely," 
and  then  he  proceeded  to  explain  his  own,  which  ho 
described  as  "  simple  and  unpreten«hus "  ind. 
sure  enough,  it  was;  for  the  letters  we.e  strevTi 
upon  the  top  of  the  counter,  the  papers  and  other 
mail-matter  thronii  underneath,  and  evorv  man 
helped  himself  to  his  own. 

"  But  might  there  rot  be  mistakes  ?  "  I  suiirost- 
ed.     ■'  .A  -nan  might  take  his  neigh])or's  letter." 

"  An'  what  would  he  do  wid  another  man's  let- 
ter forby  the  discoo-hun  that  might  enshoo  ?  " 

I  was  very  soon  to  have  an  opporrunity  of  ob- 
serving the  working  of  Ould  Michael's  system,  for 
next  day  was  mailday  and,  in  the  early  afternoon, 
men  began  to  arrive  from  the  neishhorin;;  valleys 
for  their  monthly  mail.  Ould  Michael  inrr.'dnced 
me  to  them  all  with  much  ceremony  and  I  coidd 
easily  see  that  he  was  a  personage  of  importance 
among  them.  Xot  only  was  he,  as  postmaster,  the 
representative  among  them  of  Her  ^lajesty's  Gov- 
ernment, but  they  were  proud  of  him  as  standing 

9 


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■"WWJHi^" 


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M«b«**a^jM 


for  all  that  vr&s  heroic  in.  the  Empire's  history; 
for  a  man  -who  had  touched  shoulders  with  those 
who  .d  fought  tneir  way  under  India's  fierce 
suns  and  through  India's  swamps  and  jungles, 
from  Calcutta  .  ^  Lucknow  and  back,  was  no  com- 
mon citizen,  but  a  man  who  trailed  glory  in  his 
wake.  More  than  this,  OulJ  Michael  was  a  friend 
to  all,  and  they  loved  him  for  his  simple,  generous 
heart.  Too  generous,  as  it  t'jrned  out,  for  every 
month  it  was  his  custom  to  summon  his  friends  to 
Porifly  Ijougau's  bar  and  spend  the  greater  part 
of  the  monthly  remittance  that  came  in  his  letter 
from  home.  Thar  monthly  letter  sliould  be  placed 
in  the  category  of  household  gods  with  the  flag,  "he 
garden  and  the  postoSice.  Its  arrival  was  always 
an  occaoAon  for  celebration — not  for  the  remit- 
tance it  Contained,  but  for  the  wealth  of  love  and 
tender  memorv  it  brought  to  Ould  ^lichael  in  this 
far-off  land. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  just  before  the  arrival  of 
the  mail-stage,  there  rode  up  the  bench  towards 
the  postofiice  a  man  remarkable  even  in  that  com- 
pany of  remarkable  men.  lie  was  tell — a  good 
deal  over  six  feet — spare,  bony,  with  hvige  hands 
and  feet  and  evidently  possessed  of  immense 
strength.  His  face  and  head  were  covered  with  a 
mass  of  shaggy  hair — brick-red  mixed  with  grey — 

10 


and  out  of  this  mass  of  grizzled  hair  gleamed  two 
small  grey  eyes,  very  bright  and  verv-  keen. 

'"  Howly  mithcr  av  Mo.-esI"  shouted  Oidd 
^[ichael  rushing  towards  him ;  "  'tis  McFanju- 
har.  My  friend,  Mr.  McFarquhar,  '  said  Ould 
Michael,  presenting  me  in  his  most  ceremonious 
stvle  and  standing  at  attention. 

ilcFarquhar  took  my  hand  in  his  paw  and  gave 
me  a  grasp  so  cordial  that,  were  it  not  for  the 
shame  of  it,  I  would  have  roared  out  in  agony. 

"  I  am  proud  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  you," 
he  said,  with  a  strong  highland  accent.  '*  You  will 
be  a  stranger  in  these  parts  ?  " 

I  told  him  as  much  of  my  history  and  atfairs 
as  T  thought  necessary  and  drew  from  him  a-  much 
infonnation  about  him=olf  and  his  life  as  I  could, 
which  was  not  much.  He  had  come  to  the  c(juntry 
a  lad  of  twenty  to  take  service  im<ler  tlie  Hudson 
Bay  Company.  Fifteen  years  ago  had  left  the 
Company  and  had  settled  in  the  valley  of  Grizzly 
Creek,  which  empties  into  the  Fraser  a  little  below 
the  Grand  Bend.  I  found  out.  too,  but  nut  from 
himsfclf,  that  he  Iiad  married  au  Indian  woman 
and  that,  with  her  and  his  two  boys,  he  lived  the 
half-savage  life  of  a  hunter  and  rancher.  He  was 
famous  as  a  himter  of  the  grizzlv  bears  that  once 
frequented  his  valley  and,   indeed,  he  bore  the 

11 


"^W 


I     n-urnii 


■•    il   I  P^W(r^»^»f^*IP» 


.^L 


nam< 
time 

a  loii 

over 

But 

of  O 

the  I 

carri 

lowe 

proc( 

coun 

abov 

with 

FroE 

knif( 

he  h 

spect 

ner 

pour 

ins  id 

crow 

ael, 

ed  to 

lette 

posit 

the  I 


iMi 


"^ 


.^jifiiK 


,j,it,tmmmmi^liit*^-tMii>imimtiitmaiMm^mtttmm»hiMm*iimmmmk)aumtt^^ik^imi^mmt^,. 


name  of  "  Grizzly  ilcFarquhar  "  among  the  old- 
timers. 

He  wa5  Ould  Michaer3  dearest  fiiend.  ^[any 
a  long  iiunr  bad  they  taken  together,  and  over  and 
over  again  did  they  owe  their  lives  to  each  other. 
But  the  hour  had  now  como  for  the  performance 
of  Ould  ISrichael's  monthly  duty.  The  opening  of 
the  mail  was  a  solemn  proceeding.  The  bag  waa 
carrie<l  in  from  the  stage  by  Ould  Michael,  fol- 
lowed by  the  entire  crowd  in  a  kind  of  triumphal 
procession,  and  reverently  deposite.l  upon  the 
counter.  The  key  was  taken  do\ni  from  its  hook 
above  the  window,  inserted  into  the  lock,  turne<l 
with  a  flourish  and  then  hung  up  in  its  place. 
From  his  pocket  Ould  Michael  then  took  a  clasp- 
knife  with  a  wicked-looking,  curved  blade,  which 
he  laid  beside  the  bag.  He  then  placed  a  pair  of 
spectacles  on  his  nose  and,  in  an  impressive  man- 
ner and  amidst  dead  silence,  opened  the  bag, 
poured  out  its  contents  upm  the  eoimtev,  turned  it 
inside  out  and  carefully  shook  it.  Xo  one  in  the 
crowd  moved.  With  due  deliberation  Ould  ^lich- 
ael,  with  the  wicked-looking  clasp  knife,  ,iroceed- 
ed  to  cut  the  strings  binding  the  various  bundles  of 
letters  and  papers.  The  papers  were  then  de- 
posited beneath  the  counter  upon  the  floor,  and 
the.  letters  spread  out  upon  the  counter.    The  last 

12 


act  of  the  ceremonv  was  rhf  selecting  bv  Ould 
Michael  of  his  own  If-tTcr  from  the  pile,  after 
which,  with  a  waive  of  the  hand,  hi»  declared, 
"  Gentlemen,  the  mail  is  open,"  when  they  flting 
themselves  upon  it  with  an  eagerness  thar  told  of 
the  heart-hunger  for  news  from  a  far-counrry  that 
is  like  cool  water  to  the  thirsty  soul. 

The  half-hour  that  followed  the  distribution  of 
the  mail  offered  a  scene  strange  and  touching.  The 
men  who  had  received  letters  stood  away  from  the 
crotV^d  and  read  them  with  varying  expressions 
or  delight  or  grief,  or  in  silence  that  spoke  more 
deeply  than  could  any  words.  For  that  half -hour 
the  lonely  valleys  in  these  deep  forests  stood  back 
from  them,  and  there  opened  up  a  vision  of  homes 
far  away,  filled  with  faces  and  echoing  with  voices 
that  some  of  them  knew  tuev  would  never  see  nor 
hear  again. 

But  no  mf»n  ever  saw  Ould  Michael  read  his 
letter.  That  haJf-hour  he  spent  in  his  inner  room 
and,  when  he  came  out,  there  was  lingering  alwut 
his  face  a  glory  as  of  a  departing  vision.  The  dark- 
blue  eyes  were  darker  than  before  and  in  them 
that  soft,  abstracted  look  that  one  sees  in  the  eye 
of  a  child  just  awakened  from  sleep.  His  top.gne. 
so  ready  at  other  times,  would  be  sil'i.it;  and  he 
•would  move  softly  over  to  his  friend  McFarquhar, 

18 


-i-_ 


SiJiiJKJSUfWSW.*:'. 


-m^sm^mmmmmmm^ 


jA,;i^!^j^i.'^^^^feStei- 


_jgfj^  --•;-■    J-.'--»j'r.-gl^Jfi"fft-;tt'V?' 


MtkfiM 


'--"  -'-'"^-'  -' 


atolteairiidMBB«y.lkdaH 


i 


and  stand  there  as  in  a  dream.  As  he  came  to- 
ward lis  on  this  occasion,  McFarqiiliar  said,  in  an 
undortoni-:  *' If  is  good  news  to-dav  with  Ould 
Michael,"  adding  in  answer  to  my  look  of  inquiry, 
"  His  sister  has  charge  of  his  little  girl  at  home." 

Ould  Michael  steed  in  silence  beside  his  friend 
for  some  moments. 

'*  All  well,  Michael  i  "  asked  :McFarqnhar. 

•'  They  are,  that,"  answered  the  ild  soldier,  with 
a  happy  sigh.  "  Och,  '  tis  the  lovely  land  it  is, 
and  it's  ha-ard  to  kape  away  from  it." 

"  I  am  thinking  yuii  are  better  aw-iy  from  it 
than  in  it,"  said  ^[cFanjuhar,  dryly. 

"  Indade,  an'  it's  thrne  for  you,"  answered  Ould 
Michael,  "  but  the  longor  y're  from  it  the  more  ye 
love  it,  an'  it's  God  bless  Ould  Oireland  siz  I,"  and 
he  bore  us  off  to  celebrate. 

It  was  useless  for  me  to  protest.  His  <luty  for 
the  month  n-as  over; he  was  a  free  man.  He  had  had 
his  good  news ;  and  why  should  he  not  celebrate  ? 
Besides,  he  had  money  in  his  pocket,  and  "  what 
would  the  bves  think  av  me  if  T  neglected  to  set  'em 
up  ?  "  And  '.  t  'em  up  he  did  for  "  the  byes  "  and 
for  himself,  till  I  heard  ^IcFarquhar  taking  him 
to  his  cabin  to  put  him  to  bed  long  after  I  had 
turned  in.  All  through  the  following  Sundav 
Ould  ilichael  continued  his  celebration,  with  the 

14 


heary  and  uproarious  a3=!is'a;  ce  of  th»-  nrst  .. 
the  men  and  most  of  them  remained  over  night  f  ^r 
Ould  Michael's  Sunday  spree,  which  they  were 
sure  would  follow. 

How  completely  Paddy  Dougan's  whisky,  most 
of  which  he  made  on  his  back  premises,  changed 
Ould  Michael  and  the  whole  company  I  From  be- 
ing solemn,  silent,  alert  and  generally  good-na- 
tured, they  became  wildly  vociferous,  reckless, 
boastful  and  quarrelsome.  That  Sunday,  as  al- 
ways happens  in  the  Mountains,  where  there  are 
plenty  of  whisky  and  a  crowd  of  men,  was  utterly 
ho-rible.  The  men  went  wild  in  all  sorts  of  hide- 
ous horseplay,  brawls  and  general  debauchery,  and 
among  them  Ould  ^fichael  reigned  a  king. 

"  It  is  bad  whisky,"  ^IcFarquhar  exclaimed, 
McFarquhar  himself  was  never  known  to  get 
drunk,  for  he  knew  his  limit  on  good  whisky,  and 
he  avoided  bad.  Paddy  Douzan  knev.-  better  than  to 
give  him  any  of  his  o%vn  home-made  bi3w,  for  if, 
after  his  fourth,  McFaniuhar  found  himself  group- 
ing incapable,  knowing  that  he  could  enjoy  his 
sixth  and  even  carry  with  comfort  his  ninth,  then 
his  rage  blazed  forth,  and  the  only  safety  for  Pad- 
dy lay  in  escape  to  the  woods.  It  was  not  so  much 
that  he  despised  the  weakness  of  getting  drunk, 
but  he  resented  the  fraud  that  deprived  him  of  the 

15 


mxmmm'mnim 


i.^-..^ji',._.'.,,jt- 


^^^ 


t«.^u«MllA«MMMfaMalM*MM>a«M 


pleasure  of  leisurelv  pursuing  his  way  to  his  prop- 
er limit. 

"  It  is  the  bad  whiskv  "  repeatcfl  ilcFarquhar 
"  ami  Ould  Michael  ought  to  know  better  than  fill 
himself  up  with  such  deplorable  stuff." 

"  Too  bad !  "  I  said. 

"  Ay,  but  I'll  jijt  take  him  away  with  me  to- 
morrow and  he'll  come  to  in  a  few  days." 

I  knew  enough  of  the  life  in  these  vallevs  not  to 
be  hard  with  Ould  Michael  and  his  friends.  The 
slow  monotony  of  the  long,  lonely  weeks  made  any 
break  welcome,  and  the  only  breal:  open  to  them 
wa3  that  afforded  by  Paddy  Dougan's  best  home- 
made, a  single  glafis  of  which  would  drive  a  man 
far  on  to  madness.  A  new  book,  a  fresh  face,  a 
social  gathering,  a  Sabbath  service — how  much 
one  or  all  of  these  might  do  for  them  I 

With  difficulty  I  escaped  from  Ould  Michael's 
hospitality  and,  leaving  the  scenes  of  beastly  de- 
bauchery behind,  betook  myself  to  the  woods  and 
river.  Here,  on  the  lower  bench,  the  woods  be- 
came an  open  glade  with  only  the  big  trees  re- 
maining. 

I  threw  myself  down  on  the  river-bank  and 
gave  myself  up  to  the  gracious  influeucea  that, 
stole  in  upon  me  from  trees  and  air  and  grass 
and  the  flowing  river.    The  Sabbath  feeling  began 


16 


i--- -  ■     ■'"iiti"—  '  maiffin"    -   " -  — 


to  grcrw  up5n  me,  as  the  pines  hfidni  ar>d  the  river 
in  front  sang  to  each  other  soft,  crooning  songs. 
As  I  lay  and  listened  to  the  solemn  music  of  the 
great,  iu-aying  pines  and  the  soft,  full  melody  of 
the  big  river,  my  heart  went  back  to  my  boyhood 
days  when  I  used  to  see  the  people  gather  in  the 
woods  for  the  "  Communion."  There  was  the 
same  soothing  quiet  over  all,  the  same  soft,  croon- 
ing mtrsic  and,  over  all,  the  same  sense  of  a  Pres- 
ence. In  my  dreaming,  ever  and  again  there  kep' 
coming  to  me  the  face  of  Ould  Michael,  wi'h  rho 
look  that  it  bore  after  reading  his  home-let*pr.  and 
I  thought  how  different  would  his  Sabbath  day 
have  been  had  his  sister  and  his  little  one  been 
near  to  stand  between  him  and  the  dreariness  and 
loneliness  of  his  life. 

True  to  hi'i  promi^'e.  McFarijuhnr  i-arried  otT 
Ould  Michael  to  lii.>  rnn'-h  up  ^j^i^zly  (.rock.  Be- 
fore the  sua  wa^  high  McFarquhar  had  his  uuii 
and  Michael's  pony  ready  at  the  door  and,  how- 
ever unwilling  Ould  ^Michael  miglit  be,  there  v«-as 
nothing  for  it  but  march.  As  they  rode  off  Ould 
Michael  took  off  his  hat  under  the  flag  and  called 
out: 

"  God  save  Her  Majesty  I  " 

"  Grod  bless  her!  "  I  echoed  heartily. 

At  once  the  old  soldier  clambered  down  and, 

tearing  open  his  coat,  pulled  out  a  SasL 

17 


I      iwi    »n»|ii.    .1       limn    ■  "I  »Bip<»;y<j«i  BHy.'^»M.,ip.lli'».ll    ■!      •'-  ■  --^w. 


■-* 


.^..,iA^.,S,-;LsjA£X..*s^';?A,._ii 


"™-"rj::i«^/:;,;c.,::j:;-Viu^«(>^;' 


■t  •'■'  'i'--V'iriiifiiJii'flifiiiiiiii 


j^ 


'm^sm::smmimmmms'jmmmm/W^^' 


"Mr.  McFarquhar,"  he  said,  Eoleirmly,  "it 
would  be  unbecoming  in  us  to  serrate  from  our 
friend  without  duly  honoring  Her  Gracious 
Majesty's  name."  Then,  raising  high  the  flask, 
he  called  out  with  great  ctrcmony,  and  dropping 
his  brogue  entirely:  "Gentlemen,  I  give  you  the 
Queen,  God  bless  her!  "  He  raised  the  flasl:  to 
his  lips  and  took  a  long  pull  and  passed  it  to  me. 
After  we  had  duly  honored  the  toast,  Onld 
Michael  once  more  struck  an  impressive  attitude 
and  called  out :    "  Gentlemen,  Her  Majesty's  loyal 

forces "  when  McFarquhar  reached  for  him 

and,  taking  the  flask  out  of  his  hand,  said,  gravely: 

"  It  is  a  very  good  toast,  but  wc  will  postpone 
the  rest  till  a  more  suitable  occasion." 

Ould  Michael,  however,  was  resolute. 

"  It  would  ill  become  a  British  soldier  to  per- 
mit this  toast  to  go  unhoiiored." 

''  Will  vou  come  after' this  one  is  drunk  ?  "  aeked 
McFarquhar. 

"  I  will  that." 

■ "  Very  well,"  said  McFarquhar,  "  I  drink  to 
the  very  good  health  of  Her  Majesty's  army,"  and, 
taking  a  short  pull,  he  put  the  flask  into  his 
pocket. 

Ould  Michael  gazed  at  him  in  amazed  surprise 

and,  after    the  full  meaning    of    the  joke    had 

dawned  upon  him,  burst  out  into  laughter 

18 


''  Bedad,  McFarquhar,  it's  the  first  joke  je  iver 
made,  but  the  less  fraqnent  they  are  the  better 
I  loike  them."  So  saying,  lie  mnunted  his  pony 
and,  once  more  saluting  me  and  then  the  flag, 
made  off  wifli  bis  friend.  Evfry  now  and  then, 
however,  I  could  sec  him  sway  in  his  saddle  under 
the  gusts  of  laughter  at  the  excellence  of  Mc- 
Fanpibar's  joke. 

That  was  the  last  I  saw  of  Ould  ^lich'  el  for 
move  than  "^ix  month.s,  but  often  thruugh  tha  win- 
ter, as  I  worked  my  way  to  the  (.'oast,  I  wondered 
what  the  monthly  mails  were  doing  for  the  old  man 
and  whether  to  him  and  to  his  friends  of  those 
secluded  viilk-ys  any  bettor  relief  from  the  monot- 
ony of  life  had  come  than  that  offered  by  Paddy 
Dougan's  back  room. 

In  early  iluy  I  found  myself  once  more  with 
my  canvas  and  photographic  apparatus  approach- 
ing Grand  Bend,  but  this  time  from  the  West.  As 
I  reached  the  curve  in  the  river  where  the  trail 
leads  to  the  first  view  of  the  town  I  eagerly 
searched  for  Ould  ^lichael's  flag.  There  stood  the 
mast,  sure  enough,  but  there  was  no  flag  in  sight. 
What  had  happened  to  Ould  Michael  ?  While  he 
lived  his  flag  would  fly.  Had  he  left  Grand  Bend, 
or  had  Paddy  Dougan's  stuff  been  too  much  for 
him?    I  was  rather  surprised  to  find  in  my  heart 

19 


■i«p  I 


—"^•mmrm 


_  .*  jR«V*:;tS^^'^3ffi--%  .s»^|!%&:'^p-%?».w^ 


^IS^iRJSP.v 


■■■. — 1-^-^.  ......^.i^-^^.  y.^p^i^^^^^.. 


a  keen  anxiety  for  the  oM  soldier.  A3  I  hurried 
on  I  saw  th.it  Grand  Bend  had  heard  the  sound 
of  approaching  oivilization  nnd  was  waking  up. 
Two  or  three  saloons,  a  hlaoksmith's  shop,  some 
tents  and  a  now  general  store  proclaimed  a  b'X)ra. 
As  I  approached  the  store  I  saw  a  sign  in  big  let- 
ters across  the  front,  "  Jacob  Wragge,  General 
Store,"  and  innnediatcly  over  the  door,  in  smaller 
letters,  "Postoffice."  ilore  puzzled  than  ever  I 
flung  my  reins  over  the  h itching-post  and  went  in. 
A  number  of  men  stood  leaning  against  the  coun- 
ter and  piled-up  boxes,  none  of  whom  I  knew. 

"  Is  Ould  :Michael  in  ?"  I  asked,  forgetting  for 
the  moment  his  proper  name. 

"  In  where  ? "  asked  the  man  behind  the  coun- 
ter. 

"  The  postoffice,"  I  replied.  "  Doesn't  he  keep 
the  postoffice  1 " 

"  Not  much,"  he  answered,  with  an  insolent 
laugh ;  "  it's  not  much  he  could  keep,  unless  it's 
whisky." 

"  Perhaps  you  can  tell  me  where  he  is  ? "  I 
asked,  keeping  my  temper  down,  for  I  longed  to 
reach  for  his  throat. 

"  You'll  find  him  boozing  in  one  of  the  saloons, 
like  enough,  the  old  sot." 

I  walked  out  Avithout  further  word,  for  the  long- 
80 


ing  for  his  throat  grew  almost  more  than  I  could 
bear,  and  went  across  to  Paddy  Dougan's.  Pad'ly 
expressed  great  delight  at  seeing  me  again  ami, 
on  my  asking  for  Ould  Michael,  became  the  pic- 
ture of  woe. 

Four  months  ago  the  postoffice  had  been  taken 
from  Ould  Michael  and  set  up  in  Jacob  Wragge 's 
store,  and  with  the  old  soldier  things  had  gone 
badly  ever  since. 

"  The  truth  is,  an'  I'll  not  desave  you,"  said 
Paddy,  adopting  a  confidential  undertone,  ''  he's 
drinkin'  too  much  and  he  is." 

"  And  where  is  he  i     And  where's  his  flag  ?  " 

"  His  flag  is  it  ^  "  Paddy  shook  his  head  as  if 
to  say,  "  Xow  you  have  touched  the  sore  spot." 
"  Shure,  an'  didn't  he  haul  do\vn  the  flag  the  day 
they  took  the  affice  frum  him." 

"  And  has  he  never  put  it  up  again  ?  " 

"  !^Jlve^  a  bit  av  it,  Man  dear,"  and  Pad.ly 
walked  out  with  me  in  groat  excitement. 

"  Do  you  know  he  niver  heard  a  word  tiil  the 

atage  druv  be  his  dure  with  the  mail-bag  an'  the 

tap  av  it  an'  left  the  ould  man  standin'  there  alone. 

ilan,  do  you  know,  you  vrud  ha'  cried,  so  you  wud, 

at  the  look  av  him;    and  then  he  walked  over  to 

the  flag  and  hauled  it  down  an'  flung  it  inside  the 

affice,  an'  there  it's  yit;    an'  niver  a  joke  out  av 

him  since. '' 

91 


.  ,fj,iaw».s-l- ■,!-■)'.■    ]•■' 


M  *.% 


mmmmmmmmmmmmmm 


mm*mm: 


klor 

Ileal 


ward 

then 

onlv 

but  h 

told 

•earcl 

seen. 


farn 


«f 


wo 


* 


and 
Tho 
boan 
of  fl. 
her  I 
the  1 
rose  ( 
torn 


.^mrcm:".-}i^^]immmmimM'immW, 


"  And  what  is  McFarquhar  doing  all  the  time?  " 

**  Sharp  heV  off  on  his  spring  hunt  this  thrre 
montli-;  an'  lit-  ihrif'l  to  gff  OuM  Michael  to  go 
klong  wifl  him,  l>iu  nivor  a  hit  wud  ho;  but  I 
heard  he'll  ho  in  to-day  and,  hodad,  there  he  is  I  " 

Snro  enough  there  was  iIoFar<iuhar,  riding  to- 
ward us.  He  gavL'  nio  a  warm  weleomo  back  and 
tten  fell  into  talkiiig  >>i  Quid  Michael.  He  had 
only  seen  him  once  after  the  loss  of  his  position, 
but  he  fearoil  things  were  going  badly  with  him.  I 
told  him  all  that  Paddy  had  given  me  as  we 
■earched  the  saloons.  Ould  Michael  was  not  to  be 
seen. 

''  He  will  be  at  home  very  likely,"  said  Mc- 
Faniuhar.  *' We  will  jisr  put  a  stop  to  this  kind 
of  work." 

McFanjuhar  was  torn  between  grief  over  his 
friend's  trouble  and  indignation  at  hn  weakness 
and  follv.  We  rode  ui)  to  Ould  Michael's  cabin. 
The  "  office"  door  was  bx-ked  and  the  windows 
boarded  up.  In  the  garden  all  was  a  wild  tangle 
of  flowers  and  weeds.  Xature  was  bravelv  doini' 
her  best,  but  she  misse<l  the  friondlv  hand  that  in 
the  past  had  directed  her  energios.  The  climbing 
rose  covered  .vith  opening  buds  was  here  and  there 
torn  from  the  l)are  logs. 

"Man,  man!"  cried  McFarquhar,  "this  is  a. 
terrible  change  whatever." 

22 


ll]i  .  I    ■ill.ll  I  XI 


•^^"W»*«fl^»W 


I 


We  iTircked  a''  the  side  door  and  waited,  but 
there  was  no  an.swer.  I  pushed  the  door  open  and 
there,  in  the  midst  of  disorder  and  dirt,  sat  Oidd 
Michael.  I  could  hardly  believe  it  possible  that 
in  80  "short  a  time  so  great  a  chango  could  come 
to  a  man.  His  hair  hung  in  long  grey  locks  about 
his  ears,  his  face  was  unshaven,  his  dress  dirty 
and  slovenly  and  his  whole  appearance  and  atti- 
tude suggested  ruin  and  despair.  But  the  out- 
ward wreck  was  evidently  only  an  index  to  the 
wreck  of  soul,  that  had  gone  on.  Out  of  the  dark- 
blue  eyes  there  shone  no  inner  light.  The  bright, 
brave,  cheery  old  soldier  was  gone,  and  in  his 
place  the  figure  of  disorder  and  despair.  He 
looked  up  at  our  entering,  then  turned  from  us, 
shrinking,  and  put  his  hands  to  his  face,  swaying 
to  and  fro  and  groaning  deeply. 

McFarquhar  had  come  prepared  to  adopt  strong 
measures,  but  the  sight  of  Ould  Michael,  besotted 
and  broken,  was  more  than  he  could  stand. 

"  Michael,  man  I  "  he  cried,  amazement  and 
grief  in  his  voice.  '"  Aw,  Michael,  man!  Wliat's 
this  ?    What's  this  ? '' 

He  went  to  him  and  laid  his  big  bony  hand  on 
Ould  Michael's  shoulder.  At  his  words  and  touch 
the  old  man  broke  into  sobbing,  terrible  to  see. 

"  Whisht,  man,"  said  McFarquhar,  as  he  might 
98 


A*.  ■.r'-'5*.iv:r"-.i:x;^.-;'i*'rK 


.-4'*  r^ 


I 


the 


xiip 


'#1 


'S'im 


fmllrrmiMliiii 


"to  a  child,  "\vhist,  whist,  lad!  It  will  be  well 
with  you  yet." 

But  Ould  Michapl  could  not  be  comforted,  but 
sobbed  on  and  on.  A  man'3  weeping  has  .some- 
thing  terrible  in  it,  but  an  old  man's  tears  are 
hardest  of  all  to  bear.  McFarquhar  stood  helpless 
for  3om»  moments;  then,  taking  Ould  Michael  by 
the  arm,  he  said: 

"Come  out  of  this,  anyway!    Come  out!  " 

"  But  it  was  long  before  Ould  Michael  would 
talk.  He  sat  in  silence  while  his  fr'eud  discoursed 
to  him  about  the  folly  cf  allowing  Paddy  to  de- 
ceive him  with  bad  whisky.  Surely  anj  man 
could  tell  the  bad  from  the  good. 

"  It  is  deplorable  stuff  altogether,  and  it  will 
not  be  good  for  Paddy  when  I  see  him." 

"  Och '  "  burst  out  Ould  Michael  at  last,  '"  it  is 
not  the  whi'ky  at  all,  at  all." 

"  Ay,  that  is  a  great  part  of  it,  whatever," 

"  Och !  me  hea-art  is  broke,  me  hea-art  is  broke," 
grodnod  Ould  Michael. 

■"  Hoots,  man !  is  it  for  the  p'stoffice  ?  That  was 
not  much  worth  to  any  man." 

But  Ould  Michael  only  shook  his  head.  It  was 
hopeless  to  try  to  make  such  a  man  appreciate 
his  feelings.  McFarquhnr  rambled  on,  making 
Ugh.':  of  the  whole  affair.     The  loss  cquld  only  be 

24 


very  trifling.  A  man  could  make  much  more  out 
of  anything  e!.-c.  Po<>r  Ould  Michael  bore  it  as 
long  as  he  could  and  then,  rising  to  his  feet,  cried 
out: 

*' Howly  mither  av  Moses!  an'  have  ye  n<> 
hea-ait  inside  av  ye  at  all,  at  all  ?  'Tis  not  the 
money ;  the  money  is  dirt !  " 

Here  McFarquhar  strongly  dissented.  Ould 
iEichael  heeded  him  not,  but  poured  out  his  bitter- 
ness and  grief.  "'  For  twinty  years  and  more  diil 
I  folly  the  flag  in  all  lands  and  in  all  climates. 
wid  wounds  all  over  me  body,  an'  medals  an'  good 
conduct  stluipes  an' — an'  all  that ;  an'  now,  will 
niver  a  word  av  complaint  or  explanashun,  to  be 
turned  alf  like  a  dog  an'  worse." 

Then  the  matter-of-fact  McFarquhar,  unable  to 
understand  these  sentimental  considerations,  but 
secretly  delighted  that  he  had  got  Ould  ^[ichael 
to  unbosom  him?elf,  began  to  draw  him. 

"  Not  twenty  years,  3Iichael.'' 

"  Twenty-foive  years  it  is,  an"  more,  I'm  tell- 
in'  ye,"  replied  Ould  Michael,  "  an'  niver  wanee 
did  the  inimy  see  the  back  av  me  coat  or  the  dust 
av  me  heels ;  an'  to  think— " 

"  How  long  was  it,  then,  vou  were  with  Sir 
Colin  ?  "  continued  McFarquhar,  cunningly. 

**  Wid  Sir  Colin  ?    Shure  an'  didn't  I  stay  wid 
35 


.f* 


BwHtt 


■'f'm'-mi^r^^'^mmmximim 


-  '     '" — "''■  -•-"^T'iTriimfiiiliiai. 


i^Millliiwina  ■■■*■■ 


all  the  wav  from  Calcutta  to  Lucknow  an' 
ll|ck?  An'  didn't  I  give  thim  faithful  sarvico 
l^e  for  twelve  years —the  first  man  that  ivor 
kindled  the  mail  in  the  vallev?  An'  here  I  am, 
Vme — like — any  conuikon  man." 

^  These  were  the  sore  spot'?  in  his  heart.  He 
uSs  shamed  before  the  people  of  the  valleys  in 
■Wiose  presence  he  had  stood  forth  as  the  represen- 
tllivc  of  a  grateful  ^overeign.  His  Queen  and  his 
amntry — his  glory  and  pride  for  all  rhese  years — 
had  forgotten  him  and  his  years  of  service  and  had 
cajU  him  aside  as  v:ortIilc-s ;  and  now  he  was  de- 
graded to  the  ranks  of  a  mere  private  citizen !  Xo 
wnder  he  had  hauled  dowu  his  flag  and  then,  hav- 
1|||§  no  interest  in  life,  nothing  was  left  him  but 
Paddy  Dougan  and  the  relief  of  his  bad  whisky. 

Against  Jacob  Wragge,  too,  who  had  supplanted 
hina,  his  rage  burned.  He  would  have  his  heart's 
blood  yet. 

McFarqi.har,  as  he  listened,  began  to  realize 
how  deep  was  the  wound  his  old  friend  had  suf- 
fered ;  but  all  be  could  say  was,  "  You  will  come 
up  \vith  me  Michael,  and  a  few  weeks  out  with 
the  dogs  will  put  you  right,"  but  Ould  :\riohael 
was  immovable  and  McFarquhar.  bidding  me  care 
for  him  and  promising  to  return  next  week,  rode 
off  much  depressed.     Before  the  week  was  over, 

26 


hotverrer,  he  was  back  again  Triti  great  ne-xs  and 
in  a  state  of  e.xaltarion. 

•'  The  minister  is  coming,"  he  announced. 

"  Minister '!  " 

''  Ay,  he  has  been  with  rze.  The  Rev.  John 
Macleod  "  (or  as  he  made  i'.  "  ..lagleod  ")  "  from 
Inverness — and  he  is  the  srrand  man  I    He  has  the 

gift." 

I  remembered  that  Le  was  a  highlander  and 
knew  well  what  he  meant. 

"  Yes,  yes,"  he  comiTied  with  his  strongest 
accent,  "'  he  has  been  ~ith  cie,  and  very  faithfully 
has  he  dealt  with  me.  Oh!  he  is  the  man  of  God, 
and  I  hev  not  heard  the  likes  of  him  for  forty 
years  and  more." 

I  listened  with  won  ler.  as  McFarquhar  'le 
scribed  the  visit  of  the  Rev.  John  ilacleod  to  his 
home.  I  could  easily  iniagir.e  the  i?lose  dealing 
between  the  minister  and  MoFarq'^har,  wh'^  v.-r,iil.i 
give  him  all  reverence  and  submission  but  when 
I  imagined  the  highland  minister  dealing  faith- 
fullv  with  the  Indian  -^vifo  and  mother  and  her 
boys  I  failed  utterly. 

"  He  could  not  make  much  of  her."  meaning 
his  wife,  "  and  the  lads."  said  McFarquliar  aadly. 
''  but  there  it  was  that  he  came  very  close  to  my- 
self;   and  indeed — indeed — my  sins  have  found 

me  out." 

37 


mmwf^mmm'^m^m'mmm 


wjBBPWWWB  Jpw  '-wpy 


^.j^  (II  m  m 


mm.'  mmv — -rmif 


M\ 


i     ( 


|:u: 


did  he 
the  mc 

and  m; 

Tbei 

had  dc 

and  hs 

jas  he  s 

faith  tf 

Michap 

doubts. 

"Ih 

his  fen 

"I  d 

I  replii 

ami  "he 

OuS 

with  th 

lowing 

Ould   ]\ 

':  profited 

The  ser 

largest 

big,  dai 

rolling 

feet  in  ( 


"  Wliat  did  he  say  to  you  ?    What,  sins  of  your* 
[did  he  discover?"  I  asked,  for  ^.IcFarquitar  was 
the  most  respectable  man  in  all  the  valley. 

"  C'l  did  he  not  ask  me  about  m;-  ^••-  ilv  altar 
and  my  duties  to  my  wife  and  children '.  " 

There  was  no  manner  of  doubt  but  3Ir.  ilaclcod 
had  done  some  searching  in  McFarquhar's  heart 
and  had  brought  him  under  "  deep  conviction," 
as  he  said  himself.  And  McFarquhar  had  great 
faith  that  the  minister  would  do  the  same  for  Ould 
Michael  and  wa^  indignant  when  T  espre.vsod  mv 
doubts. 

"  Man  aliou  "  (alive),  he  c/ied,  "  he  will  mak* 
hie  fery  bones  to  quake." 

"  I  don't  know  that  that  will  help  him  much," 
I  replied.  Birt  ilcFarquhar  only  looked  at  me 
am'  «hook  his  head  pityingly. 

On  Saturday,  sure  enough.  McFarqnhar  arrived 
with  the  minister,  and  a  ser\-ice  for  the  dev  fol- 
lowing  was  duly  announced.  We  took  care  that 
Ould  Michael  should  be  in  fit  condition  to  be 
profited  by  the  Rev.  John  Macleod's  discourse. 
The  service  was  held  in  the  blacksmith's  shop,  the 
largest  building  available.  The  minister  was  a 
big,  dark  man  with  a  massive  head  and  a  gi-eat, 
rolling  voice  which  he  used  with  tremendous  ef- 
fect ia  all  the  parts  of  his  service;    The  psalm  he 

28 


sang  mostly  alone,  which  appeared  to  trouble  him 
not  at  all.  The  scripture  Ies.v:)n  he  read  with  a 
rhjlbmie,  solemn  cadence  that  may  have  broken 
every  rule  of  elocution,  but  was  nevertheless  most 
impressive.  His  prayer,  during  which  McFar- 
quhar  stood,  while  all  the  rest  sat,  was  a  most 
estarordinary  production.  In  a  most  leiaurely 
fashion  it  pursued  its  course  through  a  whole  sys- 
tem of  theolog\',  with  careful  explanation  at  crit- 
ical places,  lest  there  should  be  any  mistaking  of 
his  position.  Then  it  proceeded  to  deal  with  all 
classes  and  condition  of  men,  from  the  Queen 
downward.  As  to  McFarquhar,  it  was  easy  to 
see  from  his  face  that  the  prayer  was  only  another 
proof  that  the  minister  had  •'•  the  gift,"  but  to  the 
others,  who  had  never  had  ilcFarquhar's  privilege, 
it  was  only  a  marvelous,  though  impressive  per- 
formance. Before  he  closed,  however,  he  remom- 
b«red  the  people  before  him  and,  in  simple,  strong, 
heart  reaching  wirds,  he  prayed  .<:or  their  salva- 
tion. 

"  Why,  in  Heaven's  name,"  I  said  afterward* 
to  McFarquhar,  "  didn't  he  begin  his  prayer  where 
he  ended  i  Does  he  think  the  Almighty  isn't  posted 
in  theology '.  "  But  McFarquhar  would  only  re- 
ply:   "  Ay,  it  was  grand?    He  has  the  gift!  " 

The  sermon  was,  as  McFarquhar  said,  "  tcr- 
29 


rib; 
the 


ven 


que 


in 


tiot 


con 


3cn 

deal 

wer 

but 

unei 

(Jiff* 

shar 

Ouli 

all  1 

astu 


p'ra] 
a  mi 


bar. 


Tl 
into 
the  r 
ael,  ; 


iMi    I    111'  II   lb 


-;*v. 


rible  powerful."  The  text  T  forget,  but  it  gave 
the  opportunity  for  an  elaborate  proof  of  the  uni- 
versal depravity  of  the  race  and  of  their  conse- 
quent condemnation.  He  had  no  great  difficulty 
I  in  establishing  the  first  position  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  his  audience,  and  the  effect  produced  was 
correspondingly  slight ;  but  when  he  came  to  de- 
scribe the  meaning  and  the  consequences  of  con- 
demnation, he  grew  terrible,  indeed.  His  pictures 
were  lurid  in  the  extreme.  No  man  before  him 
but  was  greatly  stirred  up.  Some  began  to  move 
uneasily  in  their  eeats;  some  tried  to  assume  in- 
difference ;  some  were  openly  enraged ;  but  none 
shared  McFarquhar's  visible  and  solemn  delight. 
Ould  Michael's  face  showed  nothing:  but,  after 
all  was  over,  in  answer  to  McFarquhar's  enthusi- 
astic exclamation  he  finally  grunted  out : 

"  A  great  sermon,  is  it  ?  P'raps  it  was  and 
p'raps  it  wasn't.  It  look  him  a  long  time  to  tell 
a  man  what  he  knew  before." 

"  And  what  might  that  be  ? "  asked  ilcFarqu- 
har. 

"  That  he  was  goin'  fast  to  the  Divil." 

This  !McFarquhar  could  not  deny  and  so  he  fell 
into  disappointed  silence.  He  began  to  fear  that 
the  minister  might  possibly  fail  wi:h  Ould  Mich- 
ael, after  all.     I  franklv  acknowledged  the  same 

30 


fear  and  trie<l  to  make  him  see  that  for  men  like 
Ould  }ilichael,  and  r.\w  vest,  preaching  of  that  kind 
could  do  little  good.  With  this  position  McFar- 
quhar  warmly  disagreed,  but  as  the  week  v.ent  by 
he  had  to  confess  that  on  Quid  Michael  the  min- 
ister had  no  effect  at  all,  ior  he  kept  out  of  his 
way  and  devoted  himself  to  Paddy  Dougan  as  far 
as  we  would  allow  him. 

Then  MoFarquhar  began  to  despair  and  to  real- 
ize how  desperate  is  the  business  of  saving  a  man 
fairly  on  the  way  to  destruction.  But  iielp  came 
to  us — "  a  mysterious  dispensation  of  Providence," 
McFarquhar  called  it.  It  happened  on  the 
Queen's  birthday,  when  Grand  Bead,  in  excess  of 
loyal  fervor,  was  floing  its  best  to  get  speedily  as'l 
utterly  dnmk.  In  otht^r  ilav:-  Ould  ^lichaol  had 
gloried  beyond  all  in  the  display  of  loyal  spirit : 
but  to-day  he  sat,  dark  and  scowling,  in  Paddy 
Dougau's  barroom.  ^IcFarquLar  and  T  were 
standing  outside  the  door  keeping  au  eye,  but  not 
too  apparently,  upon  Ould  ^liehael's  drinking. 

A  big  German  from  the  tie-camps,  who  had  liveii 
some  vears  across  the  border,  and  not  to  his  ad- 
vantage,  was  holding  forth  in  favor  of  libeny  and 
against  all  tyrannous  governments.  -Va  Paddys 
whisky  began  to  tell  the  German  became  sp^^  .ally 
abusive  against  Great  Britain  and    the  Queen. 

31 


■  If  .".'*'.  '     ^p'^ 


L.jMii' 


"■ ' IfVaNL*.  ^.s.me^:.;AM.^Q.^&S ■ 


'i  1 


ttmatmtm^m.^t» 


Protests  came  from  all  sides,  till,  losing  hi^  temper, 
the  German  gave  utterance  to  a  foul  slander 
against  Her  Majesty's  private  life.  In  an  instant 
Ould  Michael  was  on  his  feet  and  at  the  bar. 

"  Dhrink  all  around !  "  he  cried.  The  glasses 
were  filled  and  all  stood  waiting.  ''Gentlemen," 
said  Ould  Michael,  in  his  best  manner;  "  I  give 
you  Her  Gracious  ^Majesty  the  Queen,  God  bless 
her!"  With  wild  yells  the  glasses  wen;  lifted 
high  and  the  toast  drunk  with  three  times  three. 
The.  German,  meantime,  stood  with  his  glass  un- 
touched. When  the  cheers  were  over  he  said,  with 
a.  aaeer : 

"  Sheutlemen,  fill  ub !  "  The  order  was  obeyed 
with  alacrity. 

"  I  gif  you,  '  our  noble  selfs,'  and  for  de  Queen  " 

(using  a  vile  epithet),  "  she  can  look  after  her 

ownself."    Quick  as  thought  Ould  Michael  raised 

his. glass  and  flung  its  contents  into  the  German's 

face,    saying,   as    he  did  so :     "  God   save    the 

Queen !  "     With  a  roar  the  German  was  at  him, 

and  before  a  hand  could  be  raised  to  prevent  it, 

Ould  Michael  was  struck  to  the  floor  and  most 

brutally  kicked.     By  this  time  McFarquhar  had 

tossed  back  the  crowd  right  and  left  and,  stooping 

down,  lifted  Ould  Michael  and  carried  him  out 

into  the  air,  saying  in  c  husky  voice : 

"  He  is  dead !    He  is  dead !  " 
32 


But  in  a  moment  the  old  man  opened  hia  eyea 
and  said  faintly: 

'•'  Xiver  a  bit  av  it,  God  save " 

His  eyes  closed  again  and  he  became  uncon- 
scious. They  gave  hira  brandy  and  he  began  to 
revive.  Then  ilcFarqubar  rose  and  looked  round 
for  the  German.  His  hair  was  fairly  bristling 
round  hia  head;  his  breath  came  in  short  gasps 
and  his  little  eyes  were  bl<x)d-shot  with  fury. 

"  You  have  smitten  an  old  man  and  helpleas," 
he  panted,  "  and  yoi:  ought  to  be  destroyed  from 
the  face  of  the  earth;  but  I  will  not  smite  you  as 
I  would  a  man,  but  as  I  would  a  wasp." 

He  swung  his  long  arm  like  a  flail  a/.d,  with 
his  open  hand,  smote  the  German  on  the  side  of 
the  head.  It  was  a  terriffic  blow;  under  it  the 
German  fell  to  the  earth  with  a  thud.  i[cFar- 
quhar  waited  a  few  moments  while  the  German 
rose,  slowly  spitting  out  broken  teeth  and  blood. 

"  W^ill  you  now  behave  yourself,"  said  ^IcFar- 

quhar,  moving  toward  him. 

"  Yes,  yes,  it  is  enough,"  said  his  antagonist 

hurriedly  and  went  into  the  saloon. 

We  carried  Ould  Michael  to  his  cabin  and  laid 

him  on  his  bed.    He  was  suffering  dreadfully  from 

some  inward  wound,  but  he  uttered  not  a  word  of 

complaint.    After  he  had  lain  still  for  some  time 

he  looked  at  McFarquhar. 

33 


— ^^"^W |WIP»— TW— ■i^'  .  HI  II I  LI  1 1     Ml 


f:;  .;,i^   t^Stvtivit-W 


?^.-. 


>..iV&v  -  ■;-^-i*iu'«-a;i*is«i; 


'.iC...*^     .i.   J-^^Jh^.^'l-'^i',^':- 


<'W 

"Th 

"Th 

He  9 

ingly  u 

"Yo 

said. 

He  9 

"I'l 

Her 

ing  ove 
"All 

honor." 
Hes 

lli:»    Qu- 

bitternc 
examini 
the  con 
and  an 
but  hov 
establisl 
nursed 
that  th( 
when  tl 
Grand 
cabin,  ^ 
Hi3  lug 


•.,?«*» 


Bliai 


jtiu^tiultit^tlmti 


mUmuamimmmitmifmtt^iti^^i^m^ma 


f  What  i.s  it,  lad  ? "  aaked  i[cFarquhdr. 

"  The  Bag,"  whispered  poor  Ould  iliohael. 

"The  flag^     Do  you  want   the  flag?" 

He  shook  his  head  slowly,  still  looking  beseech- 
ingly at  his  friend.     All  at  once  it  came  to  me. 

"  You  want  the  flag  hauled  up,  Michael  i  "  I 
said. 

He  smiled  and  eagerly  looked  towards  me. 

"  I'll  run  it  up  at  once,"  I  said. 

He  moved  his  hand.  I  came  to  him  and  bend- 
ing over  him  cauglit  the  words  "  Gfxl  save " 

"  All  right,"  I  answered,  "  I  .shall  give  it  all 
honor." 

He  smiled  again,  closed  his  eyes  and  a  look  of 
"H'eat  peace  came  upon  his  face.  His  quarrel  with 
liis  Qu-^en  and  country  was  made  up  and  all  the 
bitterness  was  gone  from  his  heart.  After  an 
examination  as  full  as  I  could  make,  I  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  there  were  three  ribs  broken 
and  an  injury,  more  or  less  serious,  to  the  lungs ; 
but  how  serious,  I  could  not  tell.  IMcFarquhar 
established  himself  in  Ould  Michael's  cabin  and 
nursed  him  day  and  night.  He  was  very  an.xious 
that  the  minister  should  see  Ould  Michael  and, 
when  the  day  came  for  ^Mr.  Macleod's  service  in 
Grand  Bend,  I  brought  him  to  Ould  Michael's 
cabin,  giving  him  the  whole  story  on  the  way. 
His  highlanu  loyally  was  stirred. 

34 


"  Noble  fellow,"  he  said,  warmly,  "  it  is  a  pity 
he  is  a  Romanist ;  a  sore  piiy." 

His  visit  to  Ould  Michael  was  not  a  success. 
Even  McFarquhar  had  to  confess  that  somehow 
his  expounding  of  the  way  of  salvation  to  Ould 
!ilichael  and  his  prayers,  fervent  though  they  were, 
did  not  appeal  to  the  old  solditr;  the  matter  con- 
fused and  worried  him.  Bsit  liowiver  much  he 
failed  with  Ould  Michael  there  was  no  manner  of 
doubt  that  he  was  succeeding  with  McFarquhar. 
Long  and  earnest  were  their  talks  and,  after  every 
"  season,"  ^[cFarquhar  came  forth  more  deeply 
impressed  with  the  grand  powers  of  the  minister. 
He  had  already  e.-tablished  the  ''  family  altar  " 
in  his  home  and  was  making  some  filow  progi'css  in 
instructing  his  wife  and  children  in  "  the  doc- 
trine of  grace,"  but  as  Ould  Michael  began  to 
grow  stronger,  McFanpihar's  anxiety  about  his 
state  grew  deeper.  Again  and  again  he  had  the 
minister  in  to  him,  but  Ould  Michael  remained 
unmoved ;  indeed,  he  could  hardly  see  what  the 
minister  would  be  at. 

One  evening  as  we  three  were  sitting  in  Ould 
Michael's  main  room,  McFarquhar  ventured  to 
express  his  surprise  at  Ould  Michael's  continued 
"  darkness  "  as  he  said : 

"  My  friend,"  said  the  minister,  solemnly,  "  it 
35 


"f^'^'fm/nm' 


- 1  111  L  i||jiirnjWB^yH!^|p^|ppiB 


s 


■Mi& 


^-;."-. -f^yS&^.'Sfe 


i^ii^^^*-..yx-: 


iu8  bH 

him  in 

"Go 

"  That 

"Ai 

tones, 

be  upo 

^Icl 

able  a  I 

•'G< 

ing  su< 

"F« 

given 

3Ic] 

"H 

spair. 

"Y 

rose  a 

he  is  • 

all  thi 

will  1( 

Thi 

vision 

his  h( 

said, 

"J 

win 


HHH 


Ills  be«i  giVwi  toe  'that  yon  are  the  ifnia  to  lead 
him  into  the  light." 

"God  pity  me!"  exclaimed  McFarquhar. 
"That  T  could  lead  any  man!  " 

"  And  more,"  said  the  minister,  in  deepening 
tones,  "  it  i?  borne  in  upon  me  that  his  blood  will 
be  upon  vou." 

McFarquhar's  look  of  horror  and  fear  was  piti- 
able and  hi?  voice  rose  in  an  agony  of  appeal. 

•'  God  be  merciful  to  me !  you  will  not  be  say- 
ing such  a  word  as  that." 

"  Fear  not,"  replied  the  minister,  "  he  will  be 
given  to  you  for  a  jewel  in  j'our  crown." 

McFarquhar  was  deeply  impres.^cd. 

"  How  can  this  thing  be  ? "  he  inquired  in  de- 
spair. 

"  You  are  his  friend  I  "  The  minister's  voice 
rose  and  fell  in  solemn  rhjthm.  ''You  are  strong; 
he  is  weak.  You  will  need  to  put  away  from  you 
all  that  cau)-cth  your  brother  to  offend,  and  so  you 
will  lead  him  into  the  light." 

The  minister's  face  was  that  of  a  man  seeing 
visions  and  McFarquhar,  deeply  moved,  bowed 
his  head  and  listened  in  silence.  After  a  time  he 
said,  hesitatingly: 

"  And  Ould  Michael  has  his  weakness  and  he 
win  be  drinking  Paddy  Dougan's  bad  whisky; 

86 


but  if  he  would  only  keep  to  the  Company's  good 
whisky " 

"Man,"  intemiptsJ  ^he  tri.i'fer,  simply, 
"  don't  you  know  it  is  the  good  whisky  that  kills, 
for  it  is  the  good  whisky  that  makes  men  love  it." 

McFarquhar  gazed  at  him  in  amazement. 

"The  good  whisky!" 

"  Ay,"  said  the  minister,  firmly,  "  and  indeed 
there  is  no  good  whisky  for  drinking.'' 

McFarquhar  rose  and  from  a  small  cupboard 
brought  back  a  bottle  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany's brand.  "  There,"  he  said,  pouring  out  a 
glass,  "you  xvill  not  be  saying  there  is  no  gojd 
whisky." 

The  minister  lifted  the  glass  and  smelled  it. 

"  Try  it,"  said  McFarquhar  in  triumph. 

The  minister  put  it  to  his  lips. 

"  Ay,"  he  said,  "'  I  know  it  well  I  It  is  the 
best,  but  it  is  also  the  worst.  For  this  men  have 
lost  their  souls.  There  is  no  good  whisky  for 
drinking,  I'm  saying." 

"And  what  for,  then?"  asked  McFarquhar 
faintly. 

"  Oh,  it  has  its  place  as  a  medicine  or  a  lotion." 

"  A  lotion,"  gasped  McFarquhar. 

"  Yes,  in  case  of  sprains — a  sprained  ankle,  for 
instance." 

87 


f 


.■m^^m^ 


:Vri/.  >>--.\r^ r'.   ; 


;v,'^>v  ■  111  \.v,^m 


jii;r-"t1 


"  A  lotion !  "  gasped  'McFarquhar ;  "  and  w:»uld 
you  be  using  the  good  whisky  to  wash  your  i'eet 
with  ? " 

The  minister  smiled ;  hut  Woniiiig  immedi- 
ately grave,  he  answered:  "Mr.  McFaiMnliar, 
how  long  have  you  been  in  the  habit  of  taking 
whiskv  ?  " 

"  Fifty  years,"  said  McFarquhar  promptly. 

"  And  how  many  times  have  you  given  the  bot- 
tle to  your  friend  ?  " 

"Indeed,  I  cannot  say,"  said  ^ilcFarquhar; 
"  but  it  has  never  hurt  him  whatever." 

"  Wail  a  bit.  Do  you  think  that  perhaps  if 
Ilichael  had  never  got  the  good  whisky  from  his 
good  friends  he  might  not  now  be  where  he  is  ? " 

McFarquhar  was  silent.  The  minister  rose  to 
go 

"  Mr.  McFarqr.har,  the  Lord  has  a  word  for 
you  "  (McFarquhar  rose  and  stood  as  he  always 
stood  in  church,  "  and  it  is  this :  '  We,  then,  that 
are  strong,  ought  to  bear  the  infirmities  of  the 
weak,  and  not  to  please  ourselves.'  It  is  not  given 
to  me  to  deliver  Michael  from  the  bondage  of 
death,  but  to  you  it  is  given,  and  of  you  He  will 
demand,  *  "^Vhere  is  Abel,  thy  Brother  ? '  " 

The  minister's  last  words  rolled  forth  like 
words  of  doom. 

88 


"Man,  it  is  terrible  I  "  said  ifcFar  ;uhar  to  me 
as  the  minister  disapjieared  down  the  slopt ,  but 
he  never  thought  of  rejecting  the  burden  of  re- 
sponsibility loid  upon  him.  That  he  had  helped 
Ould  Michael  down  he  would  h  rdly  acknowledge, 
but  the  minister's  message  bore  in  upon  him  heav- 
ily. ''  Where  is  Abel,  thy  brother? "  he  kept  say- 
ing to  himself.  Then  \n-  tunk  up  the  bottle  and, 
holding  it  up  to  the  liglii",  lie  ^aid  with  great  de- 
liberation: 

"  There  will  he  no  more  of  you  whatever!  " 

From  that  time  forth  ^reFarquhar  labored  with 
Ould  Michael  with  a  patience  and  a  tact  that 
amazed  me.  He  diii  not  try  to  instill  theology 
into  the  old  man's  mind,  hat  in-  read  to  him  con- 
stantly the  gospel  storii's  and  followed  his  read- 
ing with  prayer — always  in  Gaelic,  however,  for 
with  this  Oidd  Michael  fouml  no  fault,  as  to  him 
it  was  no  new  thing  to  hear  prayer-<  in  a  foreign 
tongue.  But  one  day  McFanp.'iar  ventureil  a 
step  in  a<lvance. 

"  Michael,"  he  said  timidly,  "  you  will  need  to 
be  prayiii'  lor  yourself." 

"  Shure  iui*  don't  I  inthrate  the  Blessed  Virgin 
to  be  doin*  that  same  for  me? " 

McFartjuhar  had  learned  to  be  very  patient  with 
his  "Romish  errors,"  so  he  only  replied: 

89 


wmgKrmm^^t^^ 


II        I  WW  mi  mm*0i^^^^^» 


'^^A^ti^-^  ■  ?*>  ■' 


■T-    '      '-    -■■--"-"-■"   ..i-.-....^-.^ -  ^. 


tfilMtaAMMMiMM 


*'  Av.  but  yo\i  iinist  take  wonls  upon  your  o%vn 
lips,"  he  said,  earnestly. 

•'  An'  how  can  I,  then,  for  niver  a  word  do  I 
know  i  ■ ' 

Ihen  MeFanjuliar  fell  into  great  <listress  and 
looke«i  at  me  imploringly.  I  rose  and  went  into 
the  next  room,  closing  the  door  behind  me.  Then, 
though  I  tried  to  make  a  noise  with  the  chairs, 
there  rose  th^^  sound  of  ifcFaniuhar's  voice;  but 
not  with  the  cadence  of  the  Gaelic  prayer.  He 
had  no  gift  in  the  English  language,  he  said;  but 
evidently  Ould  ilichael  thought  otherwise,  for  he 
cared  no  more  for  Gaelic  prayers. 

By  degrees  ircFanpihar  began  to  hope  that 
Ould  Mieha<'l  would  come  to  the  light,  but  there 
was  a  terrible  lack  in  the  old  soldier  of  "  convic- 
tion of  sin."  One  day,  however,  in  his  rading  he 
came  to  the  wurds,  "  the  Captain  of  our  Salva- 
tion." 

"Captain,  did  ye  say?"  said  Ould  ]\[ichael. 

'*  Ay,  Captaiti !  "  said  McFaripihar,  surprised 
at  the  old  man's  eager  face. 

■'  And  what's  his  rigimint  ?  " 

Then  ircFar>>u'iar,  who  had  grown  quick  in 
following  Ou'd  Michael's  thoughts,  read  one  by 
one  all  the  words  that  picture  the  Cl'ristian  life 
as  a  warfare,  ending  up  with  that  grand  outburst 

40 


of  that  noblest  of  Christian  soldiers,  "  I  have 
fought  the  fight.  T  havp  kept  the  faith."  Tho 
splendid  loyalty  of  it  a[)p-al.-<i  to  Ould  Michael. 

"  McFarquhar."  he  -aid  with  tpiivering  voice, 
"  I  don't  understand  much  that  ye've  been  savin' 
to  me,  but  if  the  war  is  still  guin'  on,  an'  if  he's 
afther  recruits  any  ni-ire  bedad  it's  mesilf  vaii 
like  to  join." 

McFarquhar  was  now  at  home;  vividly  he  set 
before  Ould  Michael  the  warfare  appointed  unto 
men  against  the  v,-orld,  the  flesh  and  the  Devil; 
and  then,  with  a  quick  turn,  he  said: 

"  An'  He  is  calling  to  all  true  men,  '  Follow 

me! 

''An'  wud  He  havL-  rlie  like  av  me  T'  asked 
Ould  Michael,  doubtfully. 

"  Ay,  that  He  would  and  set  you  some  tightiu'." 

"  Then,"  said  Ould  Michael,  "  Fm  wid  Him." 
And  no  soldier  in  thar  warfare  .ver  donned  the 
uniform  with  .-simpler  faith  «>r  wme  it  with  truer 
heart  than  did  Ould   Michael. 

Meantime  I  hail,  through  political  friends,  set 
things  in  motion  at  Ottawa  for  the  reinstating  of 
Ould  Michael  in  his  position  as  postmaster  at 
Grand  Bend,  and  this,  backed  up  by  a  petitior., 
which  through  McFanpihar's  efforts  bore  the  name 
of  every  old-timer  in  the  valleys,  brought  about 

41 


'^nmmmm'  «ii.  «,q 


P  iWJ-  '^WWI 


llliil 


tie  desired  end      <J^  i    .  , 

Mieha.!  .JL         r  '"■«'"  ''y-  ->-  OuiJ 

stage  ,lr„ve  up  ,„  t-     .     ^        '  "■'. '"»  P«'l>,  the 

Shnre,  :^eVe  n,ade  a  mistake-    an'  P 
blamin've"  I  m  not 

"Xotn,uch,-'aaid,)„Jrivvr     "  T  „. 
■»:?^  mail  to  the  p„s„„a.,er."    '  '"  ''"°« 

Queen!™'"'"    '    '""*    °'"-     " ^^^l    »»>-e    the 

«p^;  c;;*;"""'  "■"-  --^^-''-^^  -""^  'oo^ 
''epo.„j:i::;?.'-' ■-'<''-.--„  as 

'«<  b^-  0„H  Aliehae      "a         ■         "  ''°'°"  "<■■ 
With   tre„,l,,i„rr  1     ''  '""'  "-^  ""  ™W»- 

«""S.  a„d  seteed  hi,  Ie„e^  ™'    ""' 

•^B«..he,e'nw„o„„„,„„b,, 
said,  nor  w•a^  there. 


49 


